Button-fastener



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM DOERFLINGER, OF LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN.

BUTTON-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 417,355, dated December17, 1889.

' Application filed July 5,1889- Serial No. 316,541. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: v

Beit kn own that LVVILL'IAM DOERFLINGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at La Crosse, in the county of La Crosse and State ofWisconsin, have invented a new and useful Button-Fastener, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention has relation to an attachment for show-cards employed forcontaining buttons, either for packing purposes, storage, or exhibit,and among the objects in view are to provide a fastener made of wire andbent to form tines adapted to be inserted through a series ofbutton-shanks upon the reverse side of a show-card, and thus-maintainthe same upon the card, said fastener being designed for withdrawal fromone or more buttons, whereby a number may be sold without destroying theconnection of the remaining buttons with the card, thus preventing theseparating or disorganization of a series of certain style of buttonsfrom each other.

A further object of the in vention is to provide a fastening device witha spring-connection with the card, whereby when the fastener iswithdrawn for the purpose of either exhibiting or selling the buttonsaid connection will act to automatically draw the fastener to position.

With these general objects in view the invention consists in providing aU -shaped fastener formed of, preferably, a single piece of wire, andterminating in opposite tines or arms, each of which engages with aseries of button-shanks upon the reverse side of the usual show-card,and, further, in providing said fastener intermediate its tines with aninwardly-projecting tongue and connecting the same with the oppositeedge or other portion of the card by means of a rubber band or otheryielding link.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of the reverse sideof a button-card, the buttons of which are maintained in position bymeans of a. device constructed and mounted in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a detail in perspective of. the fastener detached,and Fig. 3 a modification hereinafter referred to.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

1 represents an ordinary exhibit-card, wh ich is provided with the usualnumber of perforations arranged in parallel lines, and through which areprojected to the rear of the card the shanks 30f a series of buttons.

4 represents my fastener, which is formed of a single piece of wire andis substantially U-shaped, thus forming opposite parallel arms or tines5, of a distance apart substantially agreeing with the parallel rows ofshanks. Each of the tines is passed through a series of shanks, and thusthe buttons are maintained against withdrawal. Intermediate he tines 5the wire is bent inwardly or toward the ends of the tines to form anintermediate tongue 6, the inner end of which is preferably slightlybent away from the card.

7 represents a rubber band which -is connected with the tongue 6, andalso with a Tongue 8, formed by opposite slits 9, made in the edge ofthe card 1. By this it is apparent that by withdrawing the tines fromengagement with two or more buttons and removing the button and bysimply releasing the fastener the yielding link or rubber band 7 willdraw said tine back to position.

I do not limit myself to employing a rubher band in connection with myfastener, but may omit the same and reinsert the fastener by handafterthe removal of the buttons.

Referring to Fig. 3, wherein I have illustrated a modified constructionwherein I depend upon reinserting the fastener by hand and wholly omitthe rubber connections, it will be seen that the modification consistsin merely reversing the device, so that the tongue 6 will be bentinwardly toward the card, and by reason of said tongue lightly impingingagainst the card the same will be prevented from any accidentaldisplacement and loss of buttons by careless handling of the same.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination,witha show-card having a series of perforations and buttons mounted in theperforations, of a fastening device formed of U shape and havingopposite tines, each of which is adapted to engage a series of shanks,substantially as specified.

2. The combination,with a show-card having an opposite series ofperforations and buttons mounted thereon and having their shanksprojected through the perforations, of a wire fastener having oppositeshank-engaging tines, and means, substantially as shown and described,for preventing the withdrawal of the fastener accidentally,substantially as specified.

3. The combination,\\'ith a show-card having a series of perforationsand buttons mounted therein, of a button-fastening device formed ofopposite tines connected together, each of which engages a series ofbutton-shanks, and having a portion of said wire intermediate its armsbent to form a tongue, substantially as specified.

at. The combination,\vith a show-card hava series of perforationscontaining buttons, of a securing device made of wire, having r t l t li 1 l l opposite shank-engaging tines-and having a portion of its stockbent to form an intermediate tongue (3, and the rubber band 7,0011- 1nected with the tongue and with a tongue 8

